Brilliance Quotes

“If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides to a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget there is such a thing as war. If the government is inefficient, top-heavy, and tax-mad, better it be all those than that people worry over it. Peace, Montag. Give the people contests they win by remembering the words to more popular songs or the names of state capitals or how much corn Iowa grew last year. Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so damned full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're thinking, they'll get a sense of motion without moving. And they'll be happy, because facts of that sort don't change.”
― Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

“Do not let your difficulties fill you with anxiety, after all it is only in the darkest nights that stars shine more brightly.”
― Ali Ibn Abi Talib AS

“Genius is the ability to independently arrive at and understand concepts that would normally have to be taught by another person.”
― Immanuel Kant

“Idris: Are all people like this?
The Doctor: Like what?
Idris: So much bigger on the inside.”
― Neil Gaiman

“In order to share one's true brilliance one initially has to risk looking like a fool: genius is like a wheel that spins so fast, it at first glance appears to be sitting still.”
― Criss Jami, Venus in Arms

“If we only live through the eyes of the others and don’t try to capture the vibration of our own individual experience, we may miss out the beam and brilliance of authenticity that is essential to move forward in life”
― Erik Pevernagie

“Our children are only as brilliant as we allow them to be.”
― Eric Micha'el Leventhal

“Ten thousand women marched through the streets shouting, 'We will not be dictated to,' and went off and became stenographers.”
― G.K. Chesterton

“The modern habit of saying "This is my opinion, but I may be wrong" is entirely irrational. If I say that it may be wrong, I say that is not my opinion. The modern habit of saying "Every man has a different philosophy; this is my philosophy and it suits me" – the habit of saying this is mere weak-mindedness. A cosmic philosophy is not constructed to fit a man; a cosmic philosophy is constructed to fit a cosmos. A man can no more possess a private religion than he can possess a private sun and moon.”
― G.K. Chesterton

“To discover the thing you're brilliant at you first have to endure realizing all the things you're average at.”
― Shane Koyczan

“For the rest of history, for most of us, our bright promise will always fall short of being actualised; it will never earn us bountiful sums of money or beget exemplary objects or organisations....

Most of us stand poised at the edge of brilliance, haunted by the knowledge of our proximity, yet still demonstrably on the wrong side of the line, our dealings with reality undermined by a range of minor yet critical psychological flaws (a little too much optimism, an unprocessed rebelliousness, a fatal impatience or sentimentality). We are like an exquisite high-speed aircraft which for lack of a tiny part is left stranded beside the runway, rendered slower than a tractor or a bicycle.”
― Alain de Botton, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work

“All things remarkable are surprisingly simple; albeit difficult to find.”
― Criss Jami, Healology

“The sun's glow had given way to a brilliant twilight that colored the great mountains with violet and orange rivers.”
― Michael R. Hicks

“Another savage trait of our time is the disposition to talk about material substances instead of about ideas. The old civilisation talked about the sin of gluttony or excess. We talk about the Problem of Drink--as if drink could be a problem. When people have come to call the problem of human intemperance the Problem of Drink, and to talk about curing it by attacking the drink traffic, they have reached quite a dim stage of barbarism. The thing is an inverted form of fetish worship; it is no sillier to say that a bottle is a god than to say that a bottle is a devil. The people who talk about the curse of drink will probably progress down that dark hill. In a little while we shall have them calling the practice of wife-beating the Problem of Pokers; the habit of housebreaking will be called the Problem of the Skeleton-Key Trade; and for all I know they may try to prevent forgery by shutting up all the stationers' shops by Act of Parliament.”
― G.K. Chesterton, All Things Considered

“How terrible it is to recognize that one’s brilliance rests solely upon the small-mindedness of others.”
― Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, Madeleine Is Sleeping

“Some are born brilliant, some have brilliance thrust upon them -- and others cower in the dark crying, "It burns! It burns!”
― K.A. Laity

“It is in the darkest hour, when we are faced with our deepest most wrenching fears, that we are given the greatest strength. The choice is whether we succumb to the fear or rise with courage to face our truth and shine our brilliance as our sword of valor.”
― Monika Zands

“I can't believe you said that about fire ants and thunderstorms! You are such a Houstonist!”
― Wil Wheaton

“I've realized I don't need to keep looking for my path. I'm already on it. I just need to trust where it leads.”
― Teresa R. Funke, Bursts of Brilliance for a Creative Life blog

“A public official must understand from his first day in office that any show of initiative will signal the end of his career because he isn't there to be meritorious but to reach his level of incompetence with dignity.”
― Isabel Allende

“Let your brilliance be expressed through kindness.”
― Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason

“A thrilling, brilliant and electrifying life is yours the moment you wake-up.”
― Bryant McGill, Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life

“The essential in the being of a man of my type lies precisely in what he thinks and how he thinks, not in what he does or suffers.”
― Albert Einstein, Autobiographical Notes

“Maybe this doctor was one of those brilliant people who are hopeless with normal stuff like dates.”
― Liane Moriarty, What Alice Forgot

“Oh, I have just been struck with an idea of brilliantness.”
― Bree Pembrook, Joy

“Yet surely, in the world of humans, no one goes out of their way to run down a person who hasn't really made it in the world, or whose reputation is already on the wane. And no one would pause to savour the sight or the sound of some boring bird such as a kite or a crow. So, really, it's precisely because the uguisu is supposed to be such a marvellous bird that one's perversely more aware of its failings.”
― Sei Shōnagon, The Pillow Book

“Woman of Virtue

She could be as still as a statue
But unapologetically vibrant
Even in her silence
She exudes confidence
Yet so humble

She runs her race with courage
Because she has a clear picture
Of where she is going
She knows who she is
And what she wants

She understands what her worth signifies
Extremely dignified
Many odds she defies
She has influence that no one denies
No matter where she goes, she prospers

She makes life so much better
Never doubts her own power
She whose face shines brighter
Such a paragon of splendour
That recognises God’s favour

Committed to excellence
Crowned with brilliance
Clothed by abundance
Cloaked in resilience
Conquers any turbulence

She is someone I look up to
A woman of virtue”
― Gift Gugu Mona, From My Mother's Classroom: A Badge of Honour for a Remarkable Woman

“Regret avoids those who fail to fathom the brilliance concealed in missed opportunities.”
― Sayem Sarkar

“When I paint, I sail through luminescent swirls and enter domains of rhythmic energy and brilliant color.”
― Ellen Palestrant, Have You Ever Had a Hunch?: The Importance of Imagination, Fantasy & Creative Thinking

“Overcoming great challenges can profoundly transform your life’s path. Remember, it is during the darkest nights that the brightest stars reveal their true brilliance.”
― King Alwaysgood, Look What Happened To Me: True Life Experiences of Resilience and Innovation